Young students and parents curious about atomic glowing slime, astronomy, rocket launches, weather, stem cell science and other topics will find UNMC faculty, students and researchers, as well as other community participants, on hand to share their love of science at this year’s Nebraska Science Festival, which kicks off April 24 and runs through April 27.
The festival includes hands-on activities, science talks, tours, nature experiences, exhibits, performances and other events. Presented by UNMC, the festival is designed to make science accessible, interactive, relevant and fun for kids and adults alike.
To see the full list of festival events (or download a day-by-day schedule), visit the Festival’s website here, “like” the festival on Facebook and follow the festival on Twitter.
This year’s highlights include keynote speaker Jeff Corwin, who will share his passion for environmental conservation on April 25 during a sold-out presentation at Joslyn Museum’s Witherspoon Hall.
Another popular event is the free Science Expo on April 26 at The Durham Museum, which will feature hands-on experiments, as well as presentations by The Dancing Scientist (yes, chemistry experiments are set to music and involve dancing) and shows by the Omaha Children’s Museum that include Alka Seltzer rockets, flying toilet paper and atomic glowing slime.
Science Festival activities can be found at more than 20 participating sites in communities that include Omaha, Lincoln, Kearney, Wayne, Ashland and Jansen. Activities include rocket launches, printing press tours, hands-on science experiments, an electric car display, planetarium shows, a film screening on the arts and sciences and educational sessions on stem cell science, as well as the science of bacon, ice cream, wine and beer. Visit the festival website for the full listing of participating sites and activities. Note: Space is limited for some events and may require online registration and/or a fee to participate.
Science fans — or not — don’t miss two items specifically made for the festival. All month, eCreamery will sell the “molecular malt ball masterpiece,” a cake mix ice cream infused with blue and green malt ball matter (it’s delicious). Also, Nebraska Brewing Company will have a batch of SciFest beer for sale. The beer, titled Pink Elements, is a Belgian Hibiscus Beer and yes, it will be pink. To try it, register online to attend their special event on April 24 (registration includes a science of beer presentation and brewery tour).